ill-starred wealth and ease to God-pleasing poverty.

Ann was far less horror-struck at the fearful sum of the ransom than we
had been, by reason that she was ever possessed by the assurance that
Heaven had created her and Herdegen for each other, and would bring them
together at last.

Moreover she had good cause to build her hopes on my grand-uncle's help.
In a letter from the Cardinal to her he said that now, as of old, he
could only counsel her to follow the voice of her heart; that he would
put no hindrance in the way of our departing, albeit he urgently prayed
us to put it off till after his homecoming, which should now be in a
short space. She was to let Baron Im Hoff know that he was ready to do
his will, albeit he hoped at his coming to find him in mended health.
She had forthwith carried these good tidings to my grand-uncle, and they
had so uplifted and comforted his heart that verily it seemed as though
my lord Cardinal's good hopes might find fulfilment. And this very
morning she had seen him, and a right strange mind had come over him; he
had enquired of her straitly, and as though it was to him a great matter,
all that she could tell him of my lord Cardinal's way of life, of the
duties of his office and the like; and whereas she answered him that of
all these matters she knew but little, yet had she heard from his own
mouth that his eminence was bound in thankfulness to his Holiness the
Pope, by reason that he had made him to be high Almoner of the Papal
treasury and thus put it into his power to do many good works; and this
she deemed, had brought great easement to my granduncle. Then when she
rose to depart from him, he had sent his serving-man to bid Master
Holzschuher, the notary, to come to him, and to bring with him two
trustworthy witnesses duly sworn to secrecy. As he bid her farewell he
had laughed, and whispered to her that his Eminence the Cardinal would be